Why location could play a key factor

When she started out in the trade, Collins described it as very male-dominated and at times aggressive, with her having witnessed shouting between some buyers and salespeople. Instead of following the crowd however, the businesswoman chose to take an alternative response.

“When I started dealing with people at my level and slightly higher, we’d be polite to each other, I’d go through the figures, I’d be quite charming with them — and I seemed to get much better deals than my older, male colleagues,” said Collins, MediaCom U.K.’s managing director, to Imagala.com Make It.

Even though Collins has been described as a “formidable negotiator,” she admits that she has previously hit impasses during the deal-making process. When a resolution doesn’t come easy for Collins however, she has an extra card to play if needed: change the environment.

“I remember I was negotiating with someone from (U.K. newspaper) the ‘Mail on Sunday’,” she said, recalling how the pair kept on failing to reach a solution.

“(One time,) he walked into the office and I said ‘Uh-uh, turn around. Out. We’re going to The Ritz for tea’ and he went ‘What?’ and I said, ‘I booked a table, we’re going to The Ritz for tea. There’s a car waiting, come on, we’re going.’ And we got there, and within about half an hour, we’d done the deal,” Collins added.

“I think it’s just about taking yourself out of your normal environment,” she added when talking about going the extra mile, explaining how the client was “a bit on the back-foot as he wasn’t expecting that” response from her.